2
THE
CHEMAWA
AMERICAN
When the three families of our name moved to the Umpqua Dick
Johnson and his family accompanied them, and as before built their
cabin near. In those days it was usual for the settlers to encourage
settlement near them of people upon whose assistance they might rely
in emergencies, for there were occasional raids through the country of
lawless bands of Indians, and both their own families and their trusted
Indian allies felt more secure by living near each other. There, too,
were white people, though not a large percentage, among the early set
tlers, I am glad to say, who did not consider that an Indian had any
rights that a white man was under obligation to respect.
Dick and his father were allowed to cultivate a fine piece of bottom
land on Lindsay Applegate’s farm.
Klickitat Jim and his family (his wife was Dick Johnson’s sister)
came from Yakima after awhile and attached themselves to the colony.
The Indians prospered, especially in accumulation of stock, and the
matter was discussed in regard to the men taking up land for themselves.
While it was not doubted that Dick and his brother-in-law had the
character and ability to built up homes for themselves as white men did,
I believe there was no law under which an Indian could secure title to
land on the public domain. It was finally decided that they should go
to a valley about seven or eight miles away and take chances on build
ing up homes. This was a rich little opening, so hemmed in by hills
that there was only room for about two claims, and it was thought that
with such a vast unsettled region awaiting occupation by white people
in our great territory surely the Indians would not be disturbed until
perhaps through special legislation the land might be secured for them.
So they took up their claims, made rails and fenced the land, built good
cabins and outbuildings and cultivated their fields as well as did the
white people, for they had by this time learned how to farm and care
for stock and were actully doing for themselves what the Government
had spent millions of dollars to accomplish with the Indians. Not
content to emulate the white people merely so far as making the land
contribute to their material needs, Dick Johnson took the pains to learn
to compute the values of his products, sent his children and his little
brother to school and hardly a Sunday passed that these Indians,
dressed in their best, were not at church, although going much farther
for the purpose than many of their white neighbors.
Mrs. Dick Johnson took pride in her cabin. In it they had the four-
posted bedstead with valance and curtains at the windows after the
custom of the “ Boston man.” They made garden, raised chickens and
sold eggs at the store. They kept cows and made butter, Mrs. Dick
had been taught to make salt-raising bread, grandfather said. But for